(a) A person commits an offense if the person operates a motor vehicle on a highway:
(1) after the person’s driver’s license has been canceled under this chapter if the person does not have a license that was subsequently issued under this chapter;
(2) during a period that the person’s driver’s license or privilege is suspended or revoked under any law of this state;
(3) while the person’s driver’s license is expired if the license expired during a period of suspension; or
(4) after renewal of the person’s driver’s license has been denied under any law of this state, if the person does not have a driver’s license subsequently issued under this chapter.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person is the subject of an order issued under any law of this state that prohibits the person from obtaining a driver’s license and the person operates a motor vehicle on a highway.

Attorney's Note

Under the Texas Codes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class A misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $4,000
Class B misdemeanorup to 180 daysup to $2,000
Class C misdemeanorup to $500
For details, see Texas Penal Code § 12.21, Texas Penal Code § 12.22 and

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Terms Used In Texas Transportation Code 521.457

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

(c) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that the person did not receive actual notice of a suspension imposed as a result of a conviction for an offense under § 521.341.
(d) Except as provided by Subsection (c), it is an affirmative defense to prosecution of an offense, other than an offense under § 521.341, that the person did not receive actual notice of a cancellation, suspension, revocation, or prohibition order relating to the person’s license. For purposes of this section, actual notice is presumed if the notice was sent in accordance with law.
(e) Except as provided by Subsections (f), (f-1), and (f-2), an offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
(f) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor if it is shown on the trial of the offense that the person:
(1) has previously been convicted of an offense under this section or an offense under § 601.371(a), as that law existed before September 1, 2003; or
(2) at the time of the offense, was operating the motor vehicle in violation of § 601.191.
(f-1) If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the license of the person has previously been suspended as the result of an offense involving the operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated, the offense is a Class B misdemeanor.
(f-2) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor if it is shown on the trial of the offense that at the time of the offense the person was operating the motor vehicle in violation of § 601.191 and caused or was at fault in a motor vehicle collision that resulted in serious bodily injury to or the death of another person.
(g) For purposes of this section, a conviction for an offense that involves operation of a motor vehicle after August 31, 1987, is a final conviction, regardless of whether the sentence for the conviction is probated.
(h) Except as provided by Subsection (i), the department may not suspend a person’s driver’s license under § 521.292(a)(1), or extend the period a person’s driver’s license is suspended under § 521.343(c), for a conviction of an offense under this section if:
(1) the offense was committed before September 1, 2019;
(2) the person was convicted of the offense after August 31, 2023; and
(3) the person pays the department the fee required under § 521.313(a) or any other fee required for the reinstatement of the person’s driver’s license in the manner prescribed by the department.
(i) Subsection (h) does not apply to:
(1) a commercial driver’s license issued under Chapter 522; or
(2) a person who was transporting hazardous materials or operating a commercial motor vehicle at the time of the offense under this section.
(j) The fee collected under Subsection (h)(3) shall be deposited to the credit of the Texas mobility fund.